Chapter 603: An Eye for an Eye
Chapter 603: An Eye for an Eye
The news of the Grand Princess's return to the palace quickly reached the Imperial Tutor's hall.
Gongsun Yanming was reviewing petitions on behalf of Prince Jin when he casually asked, "Who returned to the palace again?"
The disciple replied, "It's the Grand Princess."
Gongsun Yanming glanced at the disciple, who seemed hesitant, and said calmly, "Speak your mind."
The disciple took a deep breath and reported everything that had happened at the palace gate in detail.
After hearing the report, Gongsun Yanming's hand paused as he was reviewing the petition. "She returned alone?"
"Yes", the disciple answered.
Gongsun Yanming knew that Gongsun Yuming had gone to his fief and had been out of contact since then.
"Go on."
Since he had already reported this much, the disciple decided to spill all the unfavorable news at once. "The Grand Princess brought twelve thousand troops, and ten thousand of them... don't look like they belong to Great Liang."
Gongsun Yanming asked, "Are they wearing black armor?"
The disciple hurriedly replied, "Yes, exactly!"
"I see."
Gongsun Yanming gestured for the disciple to leave.
"Lu Fengyin, the Black Armor Army..."
He murmured, lost in thought.
"Your Highness!"
The disciple's voice came from outside the hall.
"Go away!"
Prince Jin, clearly irritated, entered the main hall.
The disciple knelt on the ground, not daring to make a sound.
Gongsun Yanming stood up and bowed. "Your Highness."
Prince Jin adjusted his robes and sat down in the main seat, visibly upset. "The Grand Princess has taken control of the Black Armor Army and entered the city under the pretext of searching for the Emperor."
Gongsun Yanming said, "I heard she issued a military order, vowing to find the Emperor within ten days and quell the unrest in the Miao Borderlands, or face execution?"
Prince Jin closed his eyes, suspiciously. "At first, I thought she had issued the order rashly, and we could easily eliminate her by stalling for ten days!"
Gongsun Yanming sensed there was more to it and asked calmly, "Is it the Imperial Court of Justice that has thrown you into disarray?"
Prince Jin looked at him, displeased. "At a time like this, you still look so confident. You haven't seen it for yourself, but my aunt is completely different from her usual self!"
First, she lashed him with a whip in front of the entire city, then she stormed the Imperial Court of Justice, and finally, she publicly questioned his motives in front of the entire court at the palace gate.
One after another, these moves were well-coordinated and flawless.
Lu Fengyin couldn't have come up with such a meticulous and forceful plan on her own!
"There must be a mastermind behind her."
Prince Jin gritted his teeth.
Gongsun Yanming listened to Prince Jin's servant recount the entire sequence of events in great detail, even more accurately than his own disciple had.
"Your Highness is right", he said. "This doesn't seem like the usual Grand Princess."
Thinking about his aunt, Prince Jin felt a wave of unease. "She killed the Wise King and framed the Prince of Qi... Now, the Prince of Qi is missing, and I fear... he may have met with an unfortunate fate."
Gongsun Yanming seemed to be deep in thought. "If I were the Grand Princess, I wouldn't have killed the Prince of Qi."
Prince Jin frowned. "Why do you say that?"
Gongsun Yanming replied, "It would be too hasty, and that would make it less interesting."
Prince Jin was taken aback.
He thought the chances of his fourth brother surviving were slim, but he knew Gongsun Yanming's capabilities. If he said there was a glimmer of hope, then there must be.
He clenched his fist. "Our top priority is to find the fourth brother. That way, we can expose her schemes!"
Gongsun Yanming suddenly understood. "So, that's their plan."
Prince Jin looked at Gongsun Yanming with a strange expression.
Gongsun Yanming said, "With the Emperor and the Miao King missing, they've thrown the Prince of Qi into the mix to keep us busy searching for him as a witness. This way, we can't focus on finding the Emperor and the Miao King like we used to. Truly, they're using our own tactics against us."
Prince Jin glared at Gongsun Yanming.
Gongsun Yanming said, "We don't need to search for Prince Qi anymore."
Prince Jin was puzzled, "Why not? Didn't you say the Fourth Prince is still alive?"
Gongsun Yanming replied, "While he is alive and could help expose the Grand Princess, we must prioritize what's most urgent. We need to ensure they can't find the Emperor or the Miao King."
Prince Jin frowned, "I am not a heartless person. Disobeying the Father Emperor was a last resort. Once the situation stabilizes, I will release the Father Emperor from the underground palace and grant him the title of Retired Emperor, allowing him to live out his days in the palace."
Gongsun Yanming nodded, "Your Highness, your heartfelt intentions are clear to me."
Prince Jin said, "I don't want to give up on the Fourth Prince. Please, Imperial Tutor, send someone to find him."
Gongsun Yanming sighed, "As you command."
Prince Jin stood up and left.
After a few steps, he spoke again, "She... is she really my aunt, or did she use a curse on me?"
Gongsun Yanming replied, "I will investigate everything."
Prince Jin, feeling dejected, said, "I will visit the Ministry of Rites to prepare for the Third Prince's funeral."
Gongsun Yanming bowed, "I bid you farewell, Your Highness."
After Prince Jin left, a disciple entered.
Gongsun Yanming instructed, "Send someone to gather information on Gongsun Yu."
The disciple acknowledged and then asked, "Should we also send people to find Prince Qi, Your Highness?"
Gongsun Yanming picked up a memorial, "There's no need."
The disciple was surprised, "But didn't Prince Jin, Your Highness, say..."
Gongsun Yanming said calmly, "The dirty work must be done by the minister."
He picked up a brush and, just as he was about to review the memorial, he wrote a name on a piece of paper: Lü Fengyin.
A cold glint flashed in his eyes, "It's you again, is it?"
---
After entering the palace, the Grand Princess first went to Kunning Palace to pay her respects to the Empress.
Since the Emperor's disappearance, the Empress had been unable to sleep or eat, and she had grown noticeably thinner.
"Sister-in-law."
The Grand Princess sat down by the bed.
The Empress extended her trembling hand and grasped hers, "Fengyin..."
Tears streamed down her face before she could even speak.
The Grand Princess gently comforted her, "Sister-in-law, I have learned about Brother's situation. I received the news in my fief and immediately returned to the capital. Rest assured, I will find Brother!"
"But I fear... the Emperor may already be..."
The Empress choked, unable to finish her sentence.
The Grand Princess said, "Sister-in-law, Brother is the Emperor, and he is protected by Heaven. I believe he will surely turn this crisis into safety."
The Empress clutched her sister-in-law's hand tightly, weeping sincerely.
The Grand Princess looked at her with genuine concern, "Sister-in-law, rest assured. As long as I am here, even if Brother truly meets an unfortunate end, I will do everything in my power to protect you."
The Empress was deeply moved, "Fengyin..."
The Grand Princess softly said, "By the way, Sister-in-law, there are a few things I would like to ask, if it's not too presumptuous."
---
At the Crown Prince's Mansion.
Yu Zichuan was sitting on the roof, polishing his bow.
Suddenly, a cool and serene figure leaped up and sat beside him.
Yu Zichuan asked, "Didn't you pretend to be the Grand Princess and enter the palace?"
Qing Shuang replied, "There were too many lines to remember, so I had Young Lady Qianqian go instead."
Everyone in the mansion had already guessed that the Grand Princess at the palace gate was Qianqian!
Today is also a day of celebration for Qing Shuang.
She continued, "Little Wolf, don't forget to give me your votes today!"
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
Report
